


We Run Together

by Elasmosaurus



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Family, Gen, Hapi Week 2021, Home, Homecoming, Post-War, imposter syndrome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:21:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28818456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elasmosaurus/pseuds/Elasmosaurus
Summary: After the war, Hapi seeks out her old village to let her family know she's still alive. Getting back isn't easy though, as she has to overcome the consequences of staying away for so long
Comments: 5
Kudos: 12





	We Run Together

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Hapi Week day 6: Family, with some Home overlap tbh. Oh well.
> 
> CW for Hapi feeling v. nauseated and retching a bit.

The forest looked different. Darker. Tall trunks loomed over her, pressing in on all sides until Hapi felt more confined than she had in the tiny cell Cornelia once imprisoned her in. The dense canopy overhead prevented most light from filtering through. Any sunbeams that teased through the leaves were pale and sickly, their feeble attempts to brighten the forest eagerly swallowed by its darkness. As Hapi pushed through the undergrowth, tendrils of thorns clung to her cloak. Branches swiped at her arms, trying to claw her back and halt any progress deeper into the woods. Decay filled the air. Not the sweet scent of petrichor, or dewy bark, or leaves turning to mulch that she remembered, but the acrid stench of death and rot. She could taste it, forcing its way down her throat.

Hapi paused, holding a hand up to her mouth and focusing on her breathing. In and out, until the queasiness abated and she felt able to continue. At some point - Hapi wasn’t exactly sure when - a fog had risen from the ground, muting the sounds of the forest to an eerie silence and dousing her clothes in the sort of fine moisture that soaked down to the bone.

A sharp crack startled her. Hapi’s braid caught her face as she spun round, searching for dark shapes emerging from the fog and finding none. Her breathing was erratic; shallow pants filled the air as her muscles tensed and she prepared to run. Looking down, she could barely make out the broken branch beneath her feet. _Oh._ She made that noise. Willing her heart to slow, Hapi mentally shook herself. Come on. It was just like one of the ghost stories her academy friends had been so fond of. It had been fun watching Freckles squirm, and she laughed when anyone jumped out of their skins.

It was just a story. _It’s just a forest._

It couldn’t hurt them. _It can’t hurt me._

Ghosts weren’t real, anyway.

This forest was, though. It _felt_ alive, too. Not in the way all forests are alive. They’re filled with living things. Of course they’re alive. No, this one felt like it knew she was here, and it didn’t want her to be. Each step forwards became harder than the previous. A chorus of _wrong wrong wrong_ echoed in Hapi’s head, every fibre of her being longing to listen to the spirit of the forest screaming at her to turn back.

A single caw rang through the muffled silence, followed by the thrashing of wings in flight coming closer and closer until the raven connected with her face in a mess of beak, feathers and tangled talons in her hair. Her hands flew up to protect her eyes, trying to detach the bird as gently as possible in her panic - it wasn’t the feathered fucker’s fault it couldn’t see in this insidious fog - but as she unhooked the talons from her scalp, the bird all but disappeared in a faint fluttering of wings.

She’d turned around a lot in the struggle, and now she didn’t know which way she was supposed to be going.

Fuck.

Her head snapped up to use the position of the sun to navigate by but the weak light found the strength to mock her now. Hapi ignored it, gritting her teeth. She could do this. _I can_ do _this._ Balling her fists in determination, Hapi made it three more steps before the forest revealed more of its vicious tricks. Wiping the blood out of her eye from a gash she got fighting branches, the only warning Hapi got of the tree root she tripped on was the pitch in her stomach as she lurched towards the ground in a mess of of flailing limbs, connecting hard enough to knock the air out of her lungs.

More noxious odours filled her nostrils this close to the floor, hitting the back of her throat. Reflexively, Hapi’s stomach heaved. Holding her breath dissipated the worst of it. Hapi pushed herself up into a sitting position, ignoring the stinging in her hands and knees to get away from it. Brushing the dirt from her hands stained her dress with dark red. Hapi pouted.

She liked that dress.

She’d liked that life. It had seemed claustrophobic at the time - she’d wanted more, to satiate her curiosity by exploring past the trees, and seeing the outside world and breathing air that didn’t feel suffocating. It turned out that air could be suffocating wherever you were. Hapi balled her hands into fists and smashed them into the ground as she shouted her frustrations into the forest. She didn’t care that her nails dug into the grazes on her palms, but the ache in her jaw reminded her to unclench it. A quick poke of her ankle told her it was fine.

Hapi manoeuvred onto her feet as best she could without allowing her hands to touch anything again. It wasn’t the most ladylike she’d ever looked - if Coco could see her now, she thought - but she managed it. As if she gave a damn about looking ladylike. As if a lady would have survived this long on her journey. She pulled out the flask Yuri gave her and poured the alcohol over her hands. It stung, but not as much as having her hands cut off would if they got infected. Reaching in her bag, she tore some strips off a spare blouse to tie around the cuts, before taking a swig.

“I belong here. You hear me? I _belong_ here!” Hapi shouted bitterly at the fog. The only response she got was the rustling of leaves overhead, a sudden breeze biting at her exposed skin, causing Hapi to shiver under her cold, wet layers. She kicked the tree root that tripped her up before moving on.

Blinking away the tears she refused to let fall, Hapi persevered. The disorientating sensations of the fog extended to her sense of time. Hapi walked, unaware of how long for, trying to find her way.

It looked the same as everywhere else more or less, however the ground was disturbed in a pattern that couldn’t have been caused by animals. Nope, it was where she’d fallen over before. She was walking in circles.

Perfect. Just perfect.

To survive that bloody war with a dry face, only to be reduced to _this_ by a stupid forest. Hapi squeezed her eyes shut, a headache immediately blooming from the tight scrunch of her face, and tried to remember. It was so long ago now, and so much had happened in the interim, but there were bits she could recall. Hapi pulled her now useless cloak tighter around her shoulders in an embrace while she remembered.

_A large clearing with the rumble of a stream swollen from rain run-off. Lying on her back next to the other children to stare up at clear skies, the dew that formed on the ground seeping into her clothes as she learnt the stars to navigate by. The purple berries her mother used to dye clothes that tasted delicious and stained your fingers for days if you got juice on them._

Hapi reached out and stumbled forwards, always thinking of home. Rather than hindering her progress, the branches of the forest seemed to guide her in the right direction as the wind pushed at her back, like it finally remembered she _was_ supposed to be here. That she wasn’t the stranger it branded her as.

_Blue, green, red and purple pebbles falling out of the sky, a gold one bouncing off her head. Looking up to see a magpie staring at her, its head cocked, as she pocketed the first pretty pebbles of her collection. Casting a line into the river for the first time, her father’s hands cupped round her own. The taste of fresh fish caught yourself, sweeter for the sense of achievement it gave you. Bruises all over her limbs from climbing the trees with her friends. Hanging a hammock between two trunks to relax in, soaking up the sunshine on her as she relaxed and let out a long, satisfying sigh. Opening the door to their hut, watching her mother work the water into wheat flour and knead the dough with her knuckles, helping her roll it out into circles they put on the hot flat dish before cooking over the fire to make it puff._

Flames of the fire’s roaring heat had licked at her skin. They’d danced around the small room while they waited for the pot of fish curry to cook, the warming scents of ginger, turmeric, coriander and cumin filling the room and her heart. Her mother calling her in from her run with the other children as they slowly fell further and further behind the deer they were chasing.

“Hapi.”

The melodic tones of her mother’s singsong voice chiming as delicately as the trickle of a bubbling spring, carrying an easy authority without shouting. When her mother called, she always came back. Except that time she snuck out under the cover of an overcast night, never to return again.

“ _Hapi!”_

She’d never heard that edge of desperation before, her name tinged with the raw howling pain of an injured animal. Footsteps advanced on her, increasing in speed as the sound grew closer. It couldn’t be real. She was still stuck in that nightmare forest, this was another illusion designed to push away those the village didn’t want straying too close. Except this was a really good trick, it got the voice just right.

The biting cold of the fog and press of the winds on her back were gone, replaced by the gentle warmth of the sun on a warm forest day. She didn’t dare open her eyes.

If she kept them closed, nothing would change right? Everything would magically fix itself. No emoting required.

A blubbering whimper of her name this time, swallowed in a sob that cut her to the core.

Hapi couldn’t help but feel she should have brought someone with her for this. It wouldn’t have been right though. This was something she had to do for herself, she’d told her friends. Right now, she wanted to give her past self a swift kick to the shins.

What was she thinking, trying to do this by herself?

Warm arms pulled her tight, pinning her own to her sides. A head rested on her shoulder, forming a small damp patch against her clavicle. This was happening. It was real. Hapi opened her eyes and looked down, her blurry vision full of a familiar shock of red hair the same colour as her own. She inhaled shakily, then paused. It wasn’t safe for Hapi to forget herself.

Damn Cornelia and her kin to the eternal flames.

Tears streamed from Hapi’s eyes, the vice tight grip in her chest refusing to let go. She rested her head against her mother’s, trying in vain to swallow the lump lodged in her throat. Hapi felt nauseated - more than she ever had in the noxious forest - the sharp pangs of guilt stabbing into her roiling stomach as she was swept away by a complicated mix of emotions.

“Mata,” Hapi breathed.

“You came back,” her mother whispered. Their red-rimmed garnet eyes met. None of the sadness, the hurt, the pain, or the anger she was expecting started back at her. Just love, relief and happiness.

Hapi couldn’t bear it.

She crumpled, sagging into her mother’s slim figure. Despite the height difference, the older woman propped her up successfully.

“I’m so sorry Mata. I should have come back sooner. I should have told you I was okay. I should have listened to you back then. I should never have left.”

Her mother shushed her repeatedly, rubbing small circles into her back. “It’s okay, Curio. It’s okay. You made it back, that’s all that matters. Come, wash your face! And your hands too, it’s almost time for dinner. I’ll be at our home.”

The clearing was aflame with the last rays of light, strong regardless of the late hour. Warm tangerine oranges mixed with dusky pinks and scarlet reds to signal the end of the day. Hapi unwrapped her hands and rinsed them in the cool stream. She still felt unsettled, like she was intruding somehow. Each time those thoughts crept into her mind, the welcoming forest turned hostile, branches reaching out to drag her away. She splashed the thoughts out of her head, allowing the water to cleanse her soul.

Not that she really believed in those, but she’d take all the good vibes she could get.

Everyone stared as she walked through the settlement. Life stopped as she moved, but once she passed the people exploded into a flurry of movement. Preparations for the next day’s celebrations for her return began immediately, but Hapi could only focus on putting one foot in front of the other as she got closer to the door of her family home.

Cherry locks flashed past her to fling the simple door open. A young girl, around 14 or so Hapi suspected, crossed the threshold to bundle her father up in a fond embrace. She had similar cheekbones but her nose wasn’t quite the same, and she was already taller than Hapi was. Her mother stroked the girl’s head, then beckoned Hapi in.

She paused at the threshold, hesitant to intrude. Her parents had a new family now, they didn’t need her back. She was a danger to them by being here and -

“Hapi, join us!” The girl dropped the hug to drag her into the hut and over to her parents, enveloping everyone in her long arms.

Hapi looked up at her mother, who nodded in agreement. “Your sister, Meri.”

“Meri,” Hapi tried, and the girl squeezed her tighter. Her father patted her shoulder over and over again, like he was reassuring himself she was there. Honestly, Hapi was doing the same.

Her mother pulled away first. “Dinner.”

Hapi’s stomach growled, to everyone’s amusement. The fish curry over the stove smelt as good as she remembered.

With the exception of the new additions (Meri and a gorgeous dog curled by the fire), it was like nothing had changed. Hapi took her usual seat at the table, surrounded by the bustle of her family, basking in the warmth of their love.

“So, tell us everything. Where have you been? What have you been up to?” Her father asked.

“Did you get caught up in the war?” Meri added.

 _Where to start,_ Hapi thought.

“There will be time for that later!” Her mother chided. “Important questions first. Is there a boy? Or maybe a girl?”

Hapi thought of the one outside the forest who held her heart, and nodded.

“I’ll need to check they’re good enough for you,” her father said immediately.

“Oooh are they cute!?” Meri piped in.

“Leave her be,” her mother added.

“You started it,” Hapi accused, smiling. “But since you asked…”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked this one!
> 
> Please leave a kudos / comment if you did <3 I thrive on feedback (including constructive!)


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